There a couple Korean dramas about students in school that I have watched and each one seems to point out the hierarchy that is set in place and the competition among students. Even in non-school dramas, it seems that being at the top, successful, and having a good appearance are all very important in Korean culture. When I googled, Korean competitive culture, there were a lot of articles centered on the pressure placed on society from being a success-driven culture. One article I read talked about how South Korea has no natural resources, so they just have human capital, which contributes to the success-driven mentality. I think it is good that everyone is trying to be successful, but I think the negative side that comes out of having so much competition is that everyone wants to be the best and so they compare themselves to other people. Being over competitive might result in people treating each other badly, such as bullying in schools.There are also people born into situations that favor them being successful and those people are at the top of the hierarchy.
In terms of Korean language, I found an article by chance on phrases that are not directly translatable to English. There are a couple of words used to describe characteristics of people. There is hoon-nam or hoon-nyeo for a girl. This describes a man or woman that is both physically and innerly attractive, the perfect man or woman. I think relating back to the culture, it kind of represents the high standards that society has. Another word that relates to this is eomchina. This term is used for the annoyingly perfect son of someone your parents know when your parents are discussing about that person and the higher test grade that he got. I am sure under all of the pressure that Korean students are in, this term would describe their circumstances at times well. Perhaps the stress becomes so bad that it feels like your life is worst it can get. Well there is a word for that too and it is mak-jang. With a hierarchal society, it also makes sense that there are words to help define the family tree as family ties are among the most cherished elements in Korean culture. The words chon or chonsu are used to measure out family ties. This way one’s place is defined. For example, if you have a father who is successful, your tie to her may define you as successful. Learning about the hierarchy and the success-driven culture makes me feel like I would have to watch how I act and speak to people if I were to go to Korea. I am so used to the English language where there are not really any formal and informal sayings. You would say hi or hello just as you would to someone at a job interview as with your elders or friends.
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